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Category Archives: Patriot Act

President Obama Signs Extension of Patriot Act

Related postings on Patriot Act and this recent CRS report: Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization to accompany the following news and documents: Obama Signs Patriot Act Reauthorization ACLU: Congress Drops the Ball on Upgrading Patriot Protections U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General… Continue Reading

DOJ Report on Bush Administration Interrogation Memos and Related Documents

Follow up to previous postings on the Bush Administration Torture Memos, significant new documents were made public by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr., who posted the following document library on February 19, 2010: DOJ Report on Bush Administration Interrogation Memos and Related Documents [note: several of these documents are redacted] Memorandum for the… Continue Reading

Patriot Act Reauthorization Bill Passed by Senate Committee

ACLU: “The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the USA PATRIOT Act Extension Act of 2009 [October 9, 2009], a bill which falls far short of restoring the necessary civil liberties protections lacking in the original Patriot Act. The bill, passed by the committee after two sessions of debate, makes only minor changes to the disastrous Patriot… Continue Reading

DOJ OIG Testimony on Reauthorizing the USA Patriot Act

Statement of Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary concerning Reauthorizing the USA Patriot Act, September 23, 2009 “Our reports recognized the significant challenges the FBI faced and the major organizational changes it was undergoing during our review period. Nevertheless, we concluded that the FBI engaged… Continue Reading

JUSTICE Act Would Fix Long Standing Problems with PATRIOT Act and Other Surveillance Laws

News release and Fact Sheet: “U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have introduced legislation to fix problems with surveillance laws that threaten the rights and liberties of American citizens. The Judicious Use of Surveillance… Continue Reading

Sen. Specter: The Need to Roll Back Presidential Power Grabs

New York Review of Books: The Need to Roll Back Presidential Power Grabs, By Arlen Specter, April 16, 2009 “In the seven and a half years since September 11, the United States has witnessed one of the greatest expansions of executive authority in its history, at the expense of the constitutionally mandated separation of powers.… Continue Reading

ACLU Releases Report On Patriot Act Abuses

News release: “The American Civil Liberties Union released a comprehensive report today examining widespread abuses that have occurred under the USA Patriot Act, a law that was rushed through Congress just 45 days after September 11. In the almost eight years since the passage of the controversial national security law, the Patriot Act has led… Continue Reading

Fact Sheet: Transforming Our Armed Forces To Face The Threats Of Today And Tomorrow

White House Fact Sheet: Transforming Our Armed Forces To Face The Threats Of Today And Tomorrow – Following the attacks of 9/11, President Bush strengthened and reshaped our approach to national security. To harden our defense, President Bush: Created the Department of Homeland Security; Provided national security professionals with vital new tools like the Patriot… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Combating Nuclear Smuggling, Defense Critical Infrastructure, USA Patriot Act

2010 Census: Census Bureau Needs Procedures for Estimating the Response Rate and Selecting for Testing Methods to Increase Response Rate, GAO-08-1012, September 30, 2008 Combating Nuclear Smuggling: DHS’s Phase 3 Test Report on Advanced Portal Monitors Does Not Fully Disclose the Limitations of the Test Results, GAO-08-979, September 30, 2008 Defense Critical Infrastructure: Developing Training… Continue Reading

Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act, August 2008

DOJ: Special Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act, August 2008: “Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Patriot Act), Public Law 107-56, directs the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) to undertake a series of actions related to claims… Continue Reading